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Saturday, February 05, 2011

REVIEW OF HED

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.

RATING: 5.1 OUT OF 10.

Over the course of less than 2 years, I've tried over 200 energy drinks. So when an energy drink comes along that I've never heard of, that's saying something. This particular energy drink is called High Energy Drink (HED for short) and it is marketed as a cheaper Red Bull alternative. The label is quite generic and it looks like the sort of drink that I would find at Big Lots for 60 cents. It also has a corny slogan, "Feel It". And then it says "with taurine" in all capital letters. Wow! With taurine? I wonder how many energy drinks have taurine in them? Oh yeah, almost every single one of them. So the packaging is definitely sub-par in my opinion, but I don't grade packaging. I grade taste, blend, and kick. The taste part is actually pretty good. It tastes exactly like Red Bull, maybe a little bit more sour. If you don't know what Red Bull tastes like, I suggest you try some. The only thing I can say is that it has an apple-ish flavor, but not like carbonated apple juice, along with a medicinal flavor. Not bad, and I had no trouble drinking the whole can. The energy blend has all your favorites, of course. Here's the list: 40 percent daily value of niacin, 40 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 40 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 40 percent daily value of pantothenic acid, and a 1,650 milligram proprietary blend consisting of taurine, glucuronolactone, and inositol. Caffeine is here as well, although I don't know how much. I would assume it would be 80 milligrams since this is a Red Bull clone, but I can't be certain. The overall blend isn't too bad, though. It's got some of your energy drink staples like taurine and inositol. This drink does come in a bigger 16 ounce version, but I tried the 8 ounce version instead since Red Bull is 8 ounces and this is a Red Bull alternative. So the million dollar question is, does it work? In short, no. Not at all. I drank a can of High Energy Drink and felt no boost in my alertness or energy. It actually made me feel even more tired. Still, there is a 16 ounce version which would deliver twice the caffeine and may do the trick. The 8 ounce version didn't effect me at all. Period. So all things considered, this is a pretty average drink, maybe even mediocre. I'll give it a 5.1 out of 10. The taste and energy blend was a 7.4 and a 7 respectively. The kick rating was a 1, so the average is 5.1 out of 10.

Update: The 16 ounce version does provide a noticeable kick. I recommend buying that one instead.